Apple publishes app guidelines, calls time on fart apps

Apple has published a document (link to PDF) outlining the company’s app guidelines, making clear what developers should avoid if they want any hope of app-approval.

Laying down the law in very clear terms Apple has said that badly designed or unoriginal apps will not make it into their app store. The document accepts that this may give the company the appearance of being a control freak, but if so it is for the benefit of the customer only.

Other things that will likely see an app get rejected include:

Having hidden / undocumented features

The mis-spelling of Apple products or software (this includes not having the capital letter in the right place for iPhone etc.)

Looking similar to the company’s own bundled apps

Mentions of other platforms in the app’s meta-data

Being a duplicate of existing apps in the store

Having pornographic content or providing access to file-sharing

The company also reminds developers that there are 250,000 apps in the App Store at present and it does not need any more fart apps, or anything that looks like a product of “amateur hour”.

It does offer the olive-branch of the app Review Board for devs to go to if they feel their app was wrongly rejected. Bad-mouthing Apple in the press for their rejection will not make this process any easier, however.